MISSION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE M AWARDS AND DONATES CHARITABLE GRANTS ON BEHALF OF WINNING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETES

Three high school athletes receive M Awards for making a difference in their communities

NEW YORK –September 8, 2016— MISSION, the world’s leader in Thermoregulation technologies, today announced the winners of The M Awards, which recognizes “Athletes on a Mission” – high school student-athletes who are role models in their communities through their service to others.

The M Awards includes a Gold Award winner ($5,000 grant), Silver Award winner ($2,500 grant) and Bronze Award winner ($1,000 grant) who each receive a charitable grant made out to the community non-profit of their choice. MISSION ambassadors including Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Drew Brees, Carli Lloyd, David Villa, Reggie Bush and others are involved in selecting The M Award recipients.

Keeley Scott, a seventeen year old high school senior lacrosse and tennis player from Garden City, NY with a 4.0 GPA, is the recipient of the Gold M Award. She chose to donate MISSION’s $5,000 grant to The Andy Foundation, which is a high school program that helps organize fundraisers to raise money for children’s charities. She is also very involved with Challenger Lacrosse, which is an organization that gives children with special needs an opportunity to play lacrosse. She wants to spread her love of lacrosse to other children who do not have the opportunity to play it in their schools. MISSION celebrated her as their Gold M Award winner during the NYCFC game held at Yankee Stadium on July 30, 2016. MISSION Partner and NYCFC Captain David Villa presented her a check made out to The Andy Foundation.

Chase Harof, a high school football player from Alpharetta, GA, was the recipient of the Silver M Award and chose to donate MISSION’s $2,500 grant to the Make a Wish Foundation. He feels the athletic side of high school sports is only half the journey and it takes a person of real courage and character to make a difference on and off the field. He is proud his donation will help give children with life threatening illnesses a once in a lifetime opportunity to fulfill their dream.

Matthew Wilson, a high school football player from New Site, AL, was the recipient of the Bronze M Award and chose to donate MISSION’s $1,000 grant to the Alabama Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. The association is an international organization that promotes effective teaching approaches and intervention strategies for dyslexics. They are committed to educating others about dyslexia and researching ways to assist dyslexic students. Wilson’s younger brother is dyslexic and he awarding the grant to the organization in his honor.

“We received an overwhelming number of applications for this year’s M Awards and we are so excited to be honoring three very deserving winners who are truly Athletes on a MISSION” said Dave Cohen, VP Global Sports Marketing for MISSION.

Over the past few years, The M Awards has recognized high school student-athletes throughout the country. Student-athletes can apply using the online application on The M Awards website or be nominated by a friend, mentor, coach, or teammate. The criteria for selection includes outstanding community service, demonstrated athletic leadership, commitment to healthy athletic performance, and consistent academic performance. The M Awards is issued to varsity-level student-athletes currently enrolled in high school who maintain an average GPA of 2.5 or above.

ABOUT MISSION:
Launched in 2009 by a group of elite, world class athletes including Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, David Wright and others, MISSION is pioneering Thermoregulating innovations to maximize athlete performance and recovery. Working hand-in-hand with world-class doctors, scientists and athletes, MISSION is focused on changing the game by delivering groundbreaking, innovative and technologically advanced solutions to meet the growing demands of today’s athletes before, during and after competition. The Company first unveiled its line of innovative instant cooling towels in 2012, and has since expanded the line to cover a wide range of instant cooling gear and accessories. The Company also has a dual MISSION. While delivering world-class product innovations, MISSION also makes an impact off the field of play through health and safety initiatives for youth athletes and proudly supports the charities of its athlete partners. Find out about MISSION at www.mission.com and follow the brand on Twitter @MissionAthlete. #onamission

]]>Meet 2016 Gold Award Winner Keeley Scotthttp://themawards.org/meet-2016-gold-award-winner-keeley-scott/
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 01:38:15 +0000http://themawards.org/?p=460NEW YORK –September 8, 2016— MISSION, the world’s leader in Thermoregulation technologies, today announced the winners of The M Awards, which recognizes “Athletes on a Mission” – high school student-athletes who are role models in their communities through their service to others.

The M Awards includes a Gold Award winner ($5,000 grant), Silver Award winner ($2,500 grant) and Bronze Award winner ($1,000 grant) who each receive a charitable grant made out to the community non-profit of their choice. MISSION ambassadors including Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Drew Brees, Carli Lloyd, David Villa, Reggie Bush and others are involved in selecting The M Award recipients.

Keeley Scott, a seventeen year old high school senior lacrosse and tennis player from Garden City, NY with a 4.0 GPA, is the recipient of the Gold M Award. She chose to donate MISSION’s $5,000 grant to The Andy Foundation, which is a high school program that helps organize fundraisers to raise money for children’s charities. She is also very involved with Challenger Lacrosse, which is an organization that gives children with special needs an opportunity to play lacrosse. She wants to spread her love of lacrosse to other children who do not have the opportunity to play it in their schools. MISSION celebrated her as their Gold M Award winner during the NYCFC game held at Yankee Stadium on July 30, 2016. MISSION Partner and NYCFC Captain David Villa presented her a check made out to The Andy Foundation.

ERIN BUNDY

Knightstown, IN | 4.018 High School GPA | Butler University

An Overview of the Student-Athlete’s Community Service:

Erin is involved in serving people in many ways. She launched a service project called Step Forward for Haiti three years ago, collecting thousands of pairs of new shoes to send to people in Haiti. Closer to home, she has worked as a volunteer with the American Health Network (which distributes the shoes she collects for Haiti) to provide free physicals to students at her school. She has also been an avid volunteer at Henry County Day of Caring – and led a school supply drive for the children at the Red Bird Mission in TN (which she was able to deliver herself). During her senior year of high school, she worked with Aeropostale on their Jeans for Teens project, collecting jeans to send them to kids in need.

Examples of demonstrated leadership on and off the field:

Erin was Varsity Golf Team Captain and the team’s top Medalist. She holds the women’s record (69) at their home course. She ranked #3 in her class academically, and was elected Class President in each of her high school years. Her teachers say she motivates her classmates to participate in school activities,to participate in class discussions, and to work together. She helps others feel comfortable in any surrounding. Erin twice served as a freshman mentor and was also Vice President of the National Honor Society, which helps coordinate all of her high school’s volunteer programs.

But perhaps her most impressive leadership example was to recover from a string of four concussion injuries in junior high from basketball and cheerleading incidents. While contact sports are now not part of her life, Erin’s injury led her to be an advocate for concussion awareness. She is currently working with the Seeing Stars Foundation to share her concussion story of recovery, and worked to bring the ImPACT program to her school so concussion baseline testing will be available to all students at Knightstown High.

Just before the New York Mets took the field on August 1, they led the crowd in saluting Mitch Arnold, the first winner of The Gold M Award. The award honors young athletes who are role models in their communities. New York Mets All-Star David Wright presented Mitch with the award, along with a check for $20,000. The M Awards founder, Josh Shaw, and CEO of Modell’s Sporting Goods, Mitchell Modell, were also on hand to congratulate the young athlete.

“The true meaning of an athlete is not only to perform on the field, but to leverage those abilities in the community as well,” said Wright. “Mitch embodies everything an athlete should aspire to be.”

Big Goals

Mitch grew up playing soccer in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. In 2006, when he was 13 years old, he was inspired by the words of a visiting Haitian principal, who talked about the poor children of Haiti. Mitch wanted to help, so he created a foundation called “Peace is the Goal.” The foundation’s aim is to spread goodwill around the world through soccer. So far, Mitch has shipped soccer equipment to children in 53 countries.

In the fall, Mitch will attend the University of Minnesota. But he will continue to give back. His message to other kids is, “Be thankful for what you have, and don’t be afraid to share your gifts with others.”

Pass It On

Josh Shaw launched The M Awards in September 2010. Its goal is to inspire young athletes to lead healthy lifestyles and to be role models in their community. So far The M Awards has recognized 40 high school athletes throughout the country with Silver and Bronze M Awards. Mitch is the first to receive the Gold M Award.

“Mitch is a leader, a role model, and a shining example of what it means to be an athlete on a mission,” said Cathy Cercena, executive director of The M Awards.